Recognition of Palestine state a 'turning point,' says Norwegian envoy

By Sumeyye Dilara Dincer

The recognition of the State of Palestine by Norway as well as Ireland and Spain is a "turning point", the Norwegian ambassador to Türkiye said.

“The recognition of the State of Palestine, which Norway did at the same time as Ireland and Spain, is a turning point,” Andreas Gaarder told Anadolu.

Noting that his country officially recognized the Palestinian state on May 28, Gaarder said that Norway has been engaged in the Palestinian issue to support the Palestinian authorities for more than 30 years.

Regarding the situation in Gaza, he said the current situation is “extremely difficult and catastrophic.”

Stressing that Norway was the “architect” of the process leading to the Oslo Accords in 1993, Gaarder said: “So we have been working on matters of the Palestinian statehood and creating capacity within the Palestinian authorities for a very long time.”

“The decision we came up with was not a simple one, which was something that we had thoroughly thought over,” he said, adding that Slovenia has also decided to recognize the state of Palestine.

Noting that they put efforts into creating even more momentum toward the issue, he said a two-state solution is a prerequisite for peaceful development in the region.

“Recognition of the State of Palestine was a natural thing for us to do in this context,” he added.

Regarding the decisions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the “genocide” case, Gaarder said this is an issue defined by international law.

“Norway, as a staunch believer in the international rules-based system, will await the ruling of the International Court of Justice before having any ideas on this matter,” he added.

Israel has faced international condemnation for its continued sweeping offensive against Gaza, which has reduced wide swathes of the coastal territory to ruins amid shortages of necessities and ongoing Israeli restrictions on aid deliveries.

Nearly 37,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October, most of them women and children, and more than 84,800 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar